I saw a ZASTAVA 30-06 at Cabelas. On sale for $325, wood stock blued.

I know Remington had been importing them as the M798 years ago, but they were available before that as I believe Interarms. I do not remember how accurate they tended to be. And, is there any reports on what they are now?

To sum them up, crude but accurate gems in the rough. I noticed a couple of Zastava Mausers at Cabela’s the other day as well. I didn't give them a close look but at a glance they seem to be the same as the ones I and many others got (mine was LH) a couple years ago in a group buy. If what you are looking at is a Zastava Model 70 then it's probably the same basic rifle.

If so, the stock is finished and checkered crudely and the inside of the action is rough as a cob. Wood can vary from something a 2x4 could sneer at to very nice, real luck of the draw there. The stocks are huge with a long LOP (14 or 14.5” IIRC) but are otherwise very good ergonomically with cast and cant so they mount well.

The trigger can be adjusted to a nice, crisp pull and the rifles overall are accurate. They are real honest to gosh all milled steel and walnut rifles and give you a lot for the money if you want a solid Mauser 98 design. If you want it more nicely finished then be prepared to put in a good bit of sweat equity if you are handy or pay someone to do it if not. Gems in the rough.

So you would say it's reasonable to figure on pillars and glass bedding? That really isn't a big deal.

I have a 7x57, and what Jim says is right: the bluing is beautiful, the interior is a bit rough (even after cycling the action literally over a thousand times), and the stock looks like it was finished with a single Lipton tea bag. But after having Jim Kobe float it, bed it, and change the recoil pad to a red Pachmayr, and then re-finishing the wood myself (although not recheckering, which it really needs), it turned out to be pretty decent. The LOP is 14.5 inches, not bad for standing but way too long for any other shooting positions, and it is accurate. The barrel has a European twist, i.e., 1:220mm or 1:866", and will put 175 grain Deep Curls right at an inch at 100 yards. Someday I may have it completely reworked, but at this point I'm pretty much wed to a M70 Featherweight, so haven't really thought seriously about it.

I've only had two Zastava rifles. One a .375 H&H magnum that was more accurate than be but the edge at the top of the lower recoil lug slot was like the teeth of a Great White shark. Put deep nasty gouges in my brass. Later saw another under the Whitworth label and same thing. I didn't buy it. Talked to a gunsmith who said it could be fixed by removing the barrel and a bit of judicious grinding with a Dremel might cure the problem, that said he wouldn't do it because he was afraid it might compromise that load lug recess.

The other was a European styled .300 Win. Mag. with schnable forearm. Accurate as hell, didn't kick the snot out of me and I liked it. Why I ever sold it off is way beyond me. Was lightweight for a magnum and was just plain flat out purty as hell.

I'm thinking if I ever find another in .375 H&H, I'll grab it have the barrel pulled and do the repair myself if the gunsmith is too chicken to try. Don't need one but what does need have to do with it?
Paul B.

I have s 798 in 7 mag, good shooter. Laminated stock. Nice rifle.

The grain on this one isn't too bad, but it took oil to bring it out. As I said before, what passed for the original factory finish was pretty poor. But for $325, if you want it, get it. IMO, it's certainly worth that.

My 30-06 was marketed after the Interarms and before the Remingtons. It came in a plastic stock with a big ugly roll mark on the receiver "Charles Daly by ZASTAVA" . Good barrel but the safety, trigger, bolt handle and aluminum bottom metal were sub-prime and have all been replaced, and the receiver was surface ground. Getting a wood stock.

I've owned several Zastava Mausers over the years, from Whitworths to Remington 798's. All have been accurate, and some VERY accurate. Still tend to pick one up at the right price, but the only one that's really stuck is my .375 H&H, which started life as a Whitworth but has been modified some since purchased around 1990.

I have two Zastava Model 70s. One is a 30-06 and the other is a 375 H&H. Both are left handed. Metal work is really good, the bluing is outstanding. The wood on both is a bit rough, but steel wool and linseed oil took care of that. Both rifles have triggers that adjusted to a crisp 2 pounds, and both feed and extract flawlessly.

The 30-06, out of the box, shoots Lake City 69 milsurp into an inch or a little better consistently at 100 yards. It shoots 165 grain Federal factory into .725 if I do my part. The 375 shoots 270 grain TSXs into .600 to .650 consistently. Neither rifle has had any work other than adjusting the stock triggers and putting some linseed oil on the stocks. Each has had about 250 rounds run through them.

I find them to be accurate, reliable, and a lot of rifle for the money. At $325, the rifle is a steal and a superb hunting rifle.

Just like Mausers in general, there've been all sorts of Zastava rifles imported by one outfit or the other, with varying levels of fit and finish, and reported "issues" with chamber dimensions. Some have been quit nice, and others kinda cobby, but I think they have solid "bones" and are well worth picking up at the right price. On Gunbroker anyway, prices seem to be pretty close to what various FNs go for. At the same price, more or less, I'll take an FN every time. On the other hand, there were some stainless 798s sold, and one of those would get my attention for sure.

If I had a box of them at that price I could sell every single one in a heart beat, even allowing for the exchange rate.

I've had four and still have one; a stainless in 30-06 which was plastic stocked but now wears a Boyd's.

All have been sub 1.5moa out of the box and after an easy DIY trigger adjustment they generally improved to 1.25moa or better.

Actually with those few easy adjustments they are an OUTSTANDING trigger.

Great rifles at the price...

If you strip away that mud they use to finish them, some of them have some outstanding walnut:

Yep that IS nice wood, and i echo your comment having seen quite a few of those rough stocks after being refinished.

I've owned 2 Zastava M70's, one a .375 that I had converted to a .375 Weatherby and the other which I currently own, a .458WM.
When I bought the .458 it was already on its second stock, the first splitting after 20 shots. I have since a Hogue stock fitted.
Another thing with the .458 is that even though it extracts empty cases fine, it doesn't eject them properly. The empties just fall back in the chamber and have to be removed by hand.
None of this is to say that Zastava's are a bad rifle - and indeed I like them, but just like many other rifles they need some fine tuning before they are 100%

Cheers,

Russ.

And doesn't that give you the royal [bleep] when you have to put serious work into a firearm you spent good coin on just to get it to function and perform as it should straight out of the box.

Saw these rifles on the GI site. 7mm-08,270,30-06. Some got good wood. Cabela's back east have them. Gonna check the AZ store when I go in.

Yep, it sure does.

Not when they're near giving them away as they have been here if you're willing to watch for the good buys...

I have two Chuck Daley actions that will be built into rifles one day and I have a .25-06 that shoots bugholes with Norma 204 and 100gr NBTs. I also have a Mini-Mauser in .223 that's giving me load development fits.I'm pretty sure it has to do with the stock touching the barrel. They are good solid rifles that could use a little refinement.

Ribgy used them, that kinda deflates any negatives right there.

Heck, during the 1970's MAUSER used them and even had them marked with the Mauser logo on the front ring !

My 458, that I have carried now for over 36 years, is build on one of their barreled actions and is as slick operating as any Mauser I have ever seen.

I have 1 Chuck Daley in 30/06 with the plastic stock that I bought for like $225 at Gander a few years back. Those plastic stocks are horrible. I've put a lot of effort bedding the action and trying to firm that forearm up but I think eventually it will eventually wear a Boyd's. The skinny barrel needs more upward pressure than that stock can comfortably give.

It doesn't shoot a shotgun pattern anymore and I think with a wooden stock it will shoot fine. The metal finish is beautiful.

Dan

What! Aren't you risking life and limb using that dangerous H-ring action?!!!😱

I have two of them. One came with a Butler Creek stock which has worked fine for me. I had Dave Gentry do a trigger job on it and install a 3-position M70 style safety. I worked the bolt a few hundred times and it's now as slick as glass.

I have four: Rem M798 in 375 H&H and three that started as actions only.....338-06AI (inheritance), 35 Whelen AI and 6.5-06 AI.

They all work great and my only regret is not buying 20 actions when they were something like $230-$260 each NIB.

I would like to get a light-weight stock for the Mini. It's currently stocked with a substantial chunk of walnut that makes it heavier than what I wanted as a fast handling truck, boat and sno-go carbine. The problem is it's a left-hander and aftermarket stocks for it seem to be scarce.

Steve: MPI stocks has a synthetic stock for the Mini Mauser. Don't know if he can modify the blank for left hand.

I took a flier on a Mark X for the princely sum of $175 at a pawn shop years back. Pretty well everything people have said about them +1. It did make into a very nice 338 win for under five bills.

I think it's parent company is fiat, found that interesting.

Cool! Thanks!

I have a Zasty .375 Wby that was rechambered from the standard .374 H&H. It was close to 10 lbs with the factory stock, I put an MPI on it and the weight came down to 8.5lbs and the rifle's balance and handling are much better now too.

For that price, you really can't go wrong. I picked up one in 30-06 years ago, and the first go-round with it was not impressive. I took it apart and noticed the stock -- not the original but what appeared to be a walnut replacement -- was crudely inletted and was binding. After a little work, it consistently produced 3/4th" groups with just about any load I fed it and sometimes even did a bit better.It may not have won any awards for its looks and was a little rough overall, but it was utterly reliable and one I do regret parting with. I've never heard of anyone truly unhappy with one of these.